"Julian May - Trillium 3 - Sky Trillium" - читать интересную книгу автора (May Julian)

A long time later, after he had discovered the truth about himself and about the
world's imbalance, the prisoner had found the dead woman's second gift: the
means to escape this strange prison and its demented jailer. Her third and last
gift, without which the other two were useless, he had found just two days
earlier. There was no magic in this gift at all, and for that reason Denby had
succumbed. The old man had not died, as the prisoner had hoped, but if the
profound swoon only lasted a short while longer—

Star Man, where are you going?

Merciful Dark Powers, the sentinels had found him! Their voices rang in his
brain like great brazen bells.

What have you done to the Archimage of the Firmament? What stolen goods do
you carry in that sack? Answer us, Star Man!


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Trillium 03 - Sky Trillium by Julian May (v1.0) (html).html


At any moment they might materialize in the corridor with him. They would
point their fingers in judgment—and his life would end in a puff of smoke while
his naked skull bounced hollow on the floor.

Star Man, this is your final warning. Stop and explain yourself!

But he only continued to flee. Suddenly they appeared out of thin air, four of
them, less than ten ells behind him and striding purposefully in pursuit. The
sindona that were called Sentinels of the Mortal Dictum resembled living statues
of ivory, taller than a man and more beautiful than any human being. They wore
only crossed belts of blue and green scales and iridescent crown-helms, and they
carried golden death's-heads that symbolized their lethal duty. The pace of the
sentinels was ponderous and deliberate and he kept well ahead of them, but he
was nearly spent. His heart seemed about to burst and his legs were faltering and
would not bear him much farther.

Where was her chamber? He should have reached it long ago! But the eerie
corridor seemed endless, and the sentinels were drawing closer moment by
moment. His vision reddened, then began to dim.

I am finished, he said to himself, and pitched forward toward blackness, losing
his grip upon the sack. As he fell he took hold of his medallion in a last gesture
of futile appeal. The Star seemed to lend him fresh strength. Lying there, he was
able to lift his head and open his eyes.

He saw the four pale sindona, golden skulls cradled beneath their left arms,
marching toward him. And he also saw that a miracle had been vouchsafed. He
lay before a door, massively fashioned of solid metal, marked with a huge,